The stories and pictures presented here are mostly of my family members, all long dead. A few non-family people with interesting stories are also featured. All could easily be forgotten but I don't want that to happen. Here you'll see the good and the bad, the serious and the funny.
Genealogical data and sources can be found on Rootsweb.com in the old WorldConnect, now Family Tree, section. For more information contact me at Snibbod1@aol.com.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

WHAT HAPPENED TO POOR OL’ SHADRICK MCGLOTHLIN?

Son of David & Jemima
Corel McGlothlin

Documents tell a
story!

8 Feb 1906 OBITUARY - SHADRICK McGLOTHLIN. Died last Sunday of pneumonia. The public schools
were adjourned for the day in memory of Shadrick McGlothlin, who was janitor of
the school building. Born in VA April
11, 1847. Father and family moved to KC,
MO in 1849, lived there 3 years when in 1852 they moved to Kentucky. Nickname “Shade” Spent 32 years in KY and one
of his favorite pastimes was telling tales of life in old KY. Generous-hearted and accommodating to
all. Took life easy and did not attempt
big things in a business way. Pleasure
to take a hand in politics, having received his early training and desires
along this line during his residence in the Blue Grass state, where politics
were lively much of the time. “Shade”
had many friends and few, if any, enemies.
Married Miss Nettie Spears in Nov 1881 in KY. In 1884 came to Kansas, lived in Pleasanton
ever since. Has wife and four children:
Mrs. Cora Callins of Guthrie, OK, Mrs. Pat Liston (Julia) of Enid, OK; Mrs.
Louisa Hull of CA, and Henry, at home.
One child died. Mrs. McGlothlin
extends sincere thanks for kindness of friends.

* Cora
and Julia were children by his first wife, Martelia Preston, who died about
1878.

Feb
9, 1906 OBITUARY – Sick one week
with pneumonia. Funeral service Monday
at 3 held at home. Officiant Rev.

R. M. Cullison, pastor of
Methodist Church. In attendance were the
school board, teachers, members of the city council, Knights and Ladies of
Security, Jewell post, G.A.R., citizens, relatives and friends. Born in Virginia, April 14, 1847. Died February 4, 1906. Father and mother moved to KC, Missouri in
1849 and resided there until 1852 when they moved to Kentucky where Shadrick
grew up. He joined in the 45th
Kentucky Cavalry where he served three years.
He married Miss Nettie Spears Nov. 23, 1881 and in 1884 they came to
Pleasanton. “Known as an upright and
honorable gentleman, a whole-souled, kind and charitable, honest, cheerful and
always happy – one of the boys whom everybody liked and respected for his
excellent traits of character.” Was
member of the city council, M.E. church, Jewell post of G.A.R., Knight &
Ladies of security, in which order he carried a policy of $1,000. Leaves loving wife, son, three daughters and
a brother, H.H.McGlothlin. Says brother
is inconsolable.

on
1 August 1863 as Private in Co. F of the 45Th KY Mounted Infantry
commanded

by
Thomas Russell; discharged Catlettsburg 24 December 1864. He is 34 years

of
age, 5’6” tall, light-complexioned, with light eyes and light hair. That at Catlettsburg

on
20 Sept 1863 he took a severe cold caused by exposure, which settled in his
left*

shoulder. It now affects in such a degree that he is
unable to use his right arm, and

can
hardly provide support for himself and family.

This
file was not held at the National Archives but rather was at the Veterans
Administration headquarters in San Diego, California. The original claim for pension (above) was
filed but subsequent investigation revealed the injury may not have occurred as
presented. Below is a letter sent from
the examiner to Hon. John C. Black, Commissioner of Pensions in Washington, D.C. dated April 27, 1886

The claim is for lameness in right shoulder,
resulting in rheumatism, contracted at Ashland, KY about November 25,
1863. It was examined in Kansas, then
referred to F.C. Griffin, Special Examiner for further examination and
subsequently to me, for yet further examination.

I gave a verbal notice to Judge J. F. Stewart, of
Paintsville, Johnson Co., KY as requested by claimant. He was personally present only during the
interrogation of the witnesses at Paintsville, KY.

Original witness, Dr. John Hinkle is dead and Dr. W. G. Wells,
who had testified to prior soundness could not be reached by reason of the
destruction of roads by flood. They are
both of good reputation.

This claim is a palpable
fraud. I recommend its rejection on two
grounds. First that the disability to his
shoulder is not due to the service but is due to the hurt he got while climbing
Emanuel Spence’s apple tree, either just before or just after enlisting. (See statement of Spence and his wife Zilpha)
and second, because as long as this evidence pursues him, he is not found to be
suffering from any pensionable disability but is engaged at some of the hardest
kind of work.

I am of opinion that this man should be prosecuted
for attempt to practice fraud on the government. He enlists in August of 1863. In September
’63 complains of his shoulder and charges it to rheumatism, when he
knew, as well as this evidence shows, that it was the same disability he
received by having his shoulder strained in Spence’s apple orchard, either just
before, or just after he enlisted and he knows that he spoke to the Spence’s
about it. His intent is guilty and
plainly so, and I recommend that he be selected as a suitable person to make an
example of.

The claim was denied. In the pension file there are appeals and
declarations and supplementary claims dating right up to his death. Apparently at some point he was given a small
monthly pension. The man was truly in
poor physical shape, but his early indiscretion haunted him and the government
was not overly sympathetic to his ills.
The examinations are very inconsistent in their findings as well.

Considering that Shadrick is a very collateral
relative, I do not find it necessary to sort through all these files and get a
blow-by-blow description of what transpired.
Suffice it to say, whether he was simply lazy and didn’t care to work,
or couldn’t work hard because he was sick, what the obituary stated – “Took
life easy and did not attempt big things in a business way” was surely true.